Wire stranding machine



April 23, 1945. wfE. soMERvlLLE WIRE STRANDING' MACHINE Filed Feb. 2e,1945 9 'sheets-sheet 1 NVN April 23, 1946. w. E. soMERvlLLE WIRESTRANDING MACHINE 9 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed Feb. 26, 1945 E: .my mg,...

April 23, 1946. w. E. soMr-:RVILLE v 2,398,865

WIRE STRANDING MACHINE April 23 1946. w. E'. s'oMERvlLLE 2,398,865

WIRE STRANDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 26, 1945 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 April 23,1946. w. E. soMl-:RVILLE 2,398,865

WIRE STRANDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 26, 1945 9 Shee ts-Sheet 5 o 36 '33a'o 125 6.@ 49a- Q 46' o o 48 4.96 g l 36' 39 i 3.9 38 l/ja 38 25 37 46495 ao 49 U 0 @ao e a By m ' ,E2/e172 fr' WIRE STRANDING MACHINE FiledFeb. 26, 1945 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 9 Sheets-Sheet 7 @www NNN 4 w. E.soMERvlLLE WIRE STRANDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 26, 1945 M /z'cz April 23April 23, 1946. w. E. soMERvlLLE 2,398,855

WIRE STRANDING MACHINE Filed Feb. 26, 1945 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 April 23,1946. w. E. SOMERVILLE WIRE STRANDING MACHINE 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 FiledFeb. 26, 1945 nieuwe z3, 194e UNITED sTATEs .PATENT oFFl-cE 12 Claims.

This invention relates, in general, to imrovements in wire strandingmachines for stranding wire or the like into a rope or cable.Heretofore, in machines oi this character, it a break should occur inthe wire while the machine is in operation, considerable diiiiculty andinconvenience has been experienced, in that the machine must be stoppedand the broken strand wound back upon the bobbin by hand, which is adiilicult and sometimes tedious, as well as an expensive job.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to overcome thesedifculties and objections, and to provide improved means for winding theparticular broken wire back upon its individual bobbin or reel, therebyrendering it possible to repair or splice the broken ends.

A further object is to provide an improved machine of this character, inwhich the wires are fed from the various bobbins to the die, on theoutside of the machine, thereby not only resulting in speed in thethreading and operation of the machine, but also rendering it possibleto provide a machine in which the rotatable tubular body will be of aminimum diameter.

To the attainment of these ends and the accomplishment of other new anduseful objects as will appear, the invention consists in the features ofnovelty in substantially the construction, combination and arrangementof the several parts, hereinafter more fully described and claimed, ndshown in the accompanyingdrawings illus- .rating this invention, inwhich Figs. 1 and 1a are top plan views of a machine o; this character,constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention,

Figs. 2 and 2a are, respectively, side elevations of Figs, 1 and 1a.

Fig. 3 is a view, partly in section, partly in elevation, and with partsomitted, and on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the tubular bodymember and one of the reel supporting cradles.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of Fig. 3, partly in section, partly brokenaway, and with parts omitted.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken on lines 5 5, Figs. 3 and 6.

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view taken on line 6 6, Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view taken on line 1-1, Fig. 3.

Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view taken on line 8 8, Fig. 7. f'

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail view, partly in elevation, partly insection, of the clutch or tension creating means for one of the reels.

Fig. 10 is a view, partly in elevation, partly in section, and partlybroken away, of a portion of the driving mechanism for the reel.

Fig. 11 is a detail sectional view taken on line |I-I|, Fig. 10,

Fig. 12 is a detail sectional view taken on line l2-I2,Fig. 10.

Fig. 13 is a view, similar to Fig. 3, partly in elevation, partly insection, and partly broken away, of another form of power machanism fordriving one of the reels.

Fig. '14 is a detail sectional view taken on line ill-I4, Fig. 13, withparts omitted.

Fig. 15 is a sectional view taken on line l5-i5, Fig. 14.

Fig. 16 is a detail sectional view taken on line lli-I6, Fig. 15.

Fig. 17 is a sectional view taken on line Ii-Il,

Fig. 13.

Fig. 18 is a view, similar to Fig. 17, with parts broken away, andshowing some of the parts ln another position.

Fig. 19 is a sectional view taken on line I3--i3, Fig. 13.

Fig. 20 is a detail sectional view taken on line 20-20, Fig. 13, withparts omitted.

The machine consists, essentially, of a horizontally supported rotatabletubular member 25, which may be supported in any suitable manner,preferably by means of rollers 26 arranged at suitable positionsthroughout the length of the machine. The body portion is preferablyprovided with open spaces 21 therethrough, through the medium of whichaccess may be had to the bobbin mechanism.

The body portion is rotatable in any suitable manner, common in machinesof this character, such as by means of a motor 28 and a drivingconnection 29 from the motor to a pulley 30 on a trunnion 3l secured toone end of a cradle 32. The cradle may be supported in any suitableman.. ner, such as by means of ball bearings 33, the latter vin turnbeing supported by means of a suitable web or spider within the bodyportion 25. Any suitable number of cradles may be provided, according tothe length of the machine desired, and the number of wires it is desiredto form into the strand. As the construction and operation of each ofthe cradles is the same, a description of one will apply to all of them.

In the form of the invention shown particularly in Figs. 3, 4 and 7, thecradle 32 is provided with trunnions 34-35 at the ends thereof, whichtrunnions are journaled in the bearings 33,

Mounted upon the cradle is a reel 36, the supporting shaft 31 of thereel being mounted in provided. Y

Connected to the reel 38 is a pulley 48, over This belt also 2 open'beatings-538 on the cradle, and hdd in P051' tion, preferably, by meansof a bar or rod 88 order to prevent accidental displacement of the rods39, suitable fastening devices 45 may be which an endless belt 41passes. passes over a pulley 48, preferably by being wound one or moretimes therearound, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4. The pulley 48 ismounted upon la shaft 55 which is journaled in plates or members 49 and49a (see particularly Figs. 'I and and these plates are held spaced fromeach other by spacers 49h and fastening members 49e, the member 49having secured to it a stub shaft 50, which in turn is supported by thecradle 32.

Disposed between the members 49 and 49a, is a train of gears 52, 53, 54,suitably mounted, and the gear 54 is connected to the shaft 55 uponwhich the pulley 48 is mounted. The gear 52 is mounted upon and securedto the shaft 5| a of a worm gear connection (not shown), between themotor 5| and the said gear 52. The member 49a is provided with anopening 49d (see also Fig. 8),

-into which the shaft 5|a and the gear 52 may be inserted, so that themotor 5| and the worm gear mechanism may be inserted, as a unit, inassembling the parts, the opening 49d being of a diameter somewhatgreater than the diameter of the gear 52, and the axis of the shaft 5|ais in alinement with the axis of the stub shaft 56. Thus it will be seenthat the gears 52, 53 and 54 will be supported by the cradle frame 32.This construction renders it possible to readily assemble anddisassemble these parts.

When the motor 5|, which is supported by the cradle 32, is operated, thepulley 46 will be operated, so as to drive the belt 41, and therebyrotate the pulley 46 and the reel 38, to wind the wire back upon thereel, under predetermined conditions.

A cam or eccentric device 58 is also mounted upon the member 49, andfreely swings about its pivot 51. 'I'his element 58 is so disposed thatit will contact with the portions of the belt 41 that pass around thepulley 48. That is, when the belt 41 is traveling in one direction,through the medium of the actuation thereof by the motor 5|, theeccentric device 56 will be moved in a direction to release the belt,that is, to allow the belt to travel freely, and thereby rotate the reel36 to re-wind a wire thereupon. When, however, a wire is properly beingfed to the die, that is, when it is being paid out from the reel, andthe Wire is not broken, the element 56 will operate to wedge or grip thebelt between it and the pulley 48, to create a tension, and will holdthe belt against movement. During this time, and as the wire is beingpaid out from the reel, and as the beltl is held from movement, atension will be created and the reel 36 and pulley 48 will slip withrespect to thebelt, thereby preventing the wire from being paid out toorapidly. If desired,

season u v u* the periphery of the bam or element 88 may be knurledtoinsure a grippingV contact.

The motor 5| may be of any desired type suitable for the purpose, butpreferably comprises an electric motor which receives a source of supplyof current through suitable conductor wires 58 which are connected withcommutator members 59 in Figures 5 and 6, and 59a in Figure 10, and withwhich elements brushes 90 in Figures 5 and 6. and a'in Figure 10,respectively, cooper ate. Tothese brushes. in turn, are respectivelyconnected conductor members 8| in Figure 6, and 8|ain Figure 10,which'lead tothe en'd of the machine, at which point suitable controldevices (not shown) may be arranged, whereby the motor may be renderedactive or inactive, in the ordinary manner.

'I'he wire 62 (see particularly Fig. 3) from each of the reels passesthrough suitable guides 83 to the outside of the machine or body portion25, and are led to a suitable die 64 (see particularly Fig. 1a) which isoperated in any desired or suitable manner well known in this art. Fromthe die, the wires pass toa suitable haul-oil mechanism 65, and fromthere, in a finished condition, to the take-up reel 88. This haul-oildevice preferably comprises two pulleys 61, around which the strand 68is wound before it passes to the reel 86.

The haul-off device may be operated in any suitable manner, such as fromthe motor 28, through the medium of a shaft 69 that may be driven bymeans of a belt 10 which passes over a pulley 1| on a trunnion on theframe of the machine, and over a pulley 12 on the shaft. The shaftextends along the outside of the body portion, and may be connected witha variable speed transmission device 13, iof any suitable construction.A speed reduction device 14 may also be connected with the shaft.

A clutch mechanism 15 may also be provided, which may be of any desiredconstruction, for controlling the direction of rotation of the hauloidevice, according to the direction of lay of the wire in the strand. Thereel 66 may also be operated in any suitable manner, preferably throughthe medium of a belt 16 driven from the haul-ofi' mechanism, andcontrolled by a suitable operating under normal conditions, that is,when the wire is being fed to the die, it will travel along the outsideof the body portion, and the body portion will rotate about the cradles,the latter being swingingly mounted within the body portion, and whenthe motor 5| is idle, the tension creating means on the reels will beactive, thereby preventing the wire from beir g paid out too rapidly.When, however, one or more of the wires break, the machine will bestopped and the respective motors 5| will be operated to rotate the reel36 in a direction to wind the broken portion of the wire back upon thereel, thereby rendering it possible to splice or unite the broken endsof the wire. This may be done expeditiously and with very little eiort.When a wire is broken and the broken portions are being re-wound ontheir respective reels, the strand which has been formed will be drawnback with the broken wires,

f asoascs aus the wires that nan beesmsfin niemand nected at one end, asat 8|. to the member 48.

- and at its other end. as at 82. to an adiusting device 82a. preferablyin the form of a screw,

Vwhich inturn is adjustably connected to the cradie 82.

In the form of the invention shown in Pigs. i3 to 28, the powermechanism for rotating the reels 88 embodies a shaft 83 which is mountedupon the cradle 32 to rotate in one direction with respect thereto,while the body portion or frame 25 may be rotated in either direction,according to the direction of the lay of the wire in the strand. In thisform of the invention, the member 49 is pivotally mounted upon the stubshaft 58.

Mounted also upon the shaft 88, is a gear 84 (see particularly Figs. 15and 16) which in turn is connected, through the medium of a train ofgears 85, 88 and 91 between the members 49 and 49a, with the shaft 55,upon which latter shaft the pulley 48 is mounted, so that by rotatingthe shaft 83, the pulley 48 will be operated to rotate the reel 38through the medium of the reel driving mechanism already described.

Also mounted upon the shaft 88, are sears 88 and 89, with which thegears 98 and 9| (see particularly Fig. 14) respectively mesh. Thesegears 88 and 89 are mounted for free rotation about the shaft 83, butare adapted to be connected to the shaft for rotation therewith,respectively, by means of springs 82--93 coiled about the shaft andsecured to the respective gears. The gears 98 and 9| are respectivelymounted on shafts 94-95 journaled in the cradle 32. Gears 98--91 arerespectively secured to the shafts of the gears 98 and 9|, and thesegears 98-91 mesh with a gear 98 that is loosely mounted upon thetrunnion 35 of the cradle 32.

With this construction, and when the gear 98 is allowed to remain looseupon the trunnion 35a, rotation of the body portion 25 of the machinewill not effect or cause the rotation of the reel 35, as there will beno active driving connection between the body 25 of thev machine and thegears 88--89. At this time the cradle will be stationary and the body 25will be rotating therearound. The gear 98 being mounted on the cradle,will not rotate. When, however. the clutch 99 is rendered active to lockthe gear 98, and as the body 25 is then rotated, motion will be impartedto the reel 38 with respect to the cradle 32, through the medium of thegears 98, 91, 9| and 89, or 98, 98, 98 and 88, together with therespective coil springs 93 or 92, according to the direction of rotationof the body 25, and this will insure the rotation of the reel 36 in theproper direction, at all times.

Any suitable means may be provided for lock- 'ing the gear 98 forrotation with the frame 25.

A suitable and eflicient means embodies a brake or locking member 99(see particularly Figs. 17 to 20) This locking member 99 is pivotallysupported, as at |88, and rotates with the body portion 25 and thespider member 33a. The member 99 is provided with teeth |8|, adapted tobe moved into and out of mesh with the teeth of the gear 98. A spring|82 is provided, and tends normally to move the member 99 into an activeposition, or into the position shown in Fig. 17.

'I'his member 99, one of which is provided for each of the cradles 82.is adapted to be actuated or controlled in any suitable manner.preferably by means of a baror Arodill (see particularly Pigs. i8 'and20) which is preferably arranged on the inside of the body 25,- andleads to a point adjacentv the front of the machine. tobe actuated b!any suitable means. Connected to the member 99, preferably by means of apin and slot connection lli-|85, is a'link member |88. and this linkmember in turn is preferably connected to a rocking member |81 pivotallymounted, as at |88, upon a suitable support |89 carried by the bodyportion 28. The member |81 is provided with a slot ||8, and the link |88is connected to the member |81 by means of a pin which moves in the slot||,8.

Carried by the rod |98, is a laterally projecting portion ||2 thatenters a bifurcated portion ||8 of the rocker member |81, so that whenthe bar or rod |88 is moved in one direction or the other, the member|81 will be rocked about its pivot. This in turn, when the end of theslot ||l strikes the pin will shift the locking member 89 about itspivot in one direction, so as to release the gear 98, and in theopposite direction so as to move the member 89 to cause the teeth |8|thereof to mesh with the teeth of the gear 98. 'I'hus it will be seenthat the operation of the loosely mounted gear 98 will be controlled,and locked and unlocked with respect to the cradle, according to thedirection of the operation of the rod |88.

In order to maintain the member 99 in a locked position, or with theteeth |8| thereof locked in mesh with the teeth of the gear 98, a catchdevice ||4 may be provided, which is pivotally mounted, as at ||5, uponthe body portion, and is provided with a shoulder ||8 adapted to bemoved into and out of engagement with a shoulder ||1 on the member 99. Aspring ||8 may be provided, which tends normally to move the catch I|4in a direction to be engaged by the shoulder ||1. The catch ||4 isprovided with an arm ||9 that projects into the path of movement of thepin or member |84, that operates in the slot in the member 99, so thatwhen the parts are in the position as shown in Fig. 17, and the shoulder||1 of the member 99 is in a position to be en-A gaged by the shoulder||8 of the catch ||4, the pin |84 will be at the end of the slot |85, asshown in Fig. 17. This will lock the gear 98 for rotation about itssupporting trunnion 35 of the cradle 32, with the result that, accordingto the direction of rotation of the body portion 25, one of the gears88-89 will become active through its spring clutch 92-93, according tothe direction of the lay of the wire of the strand, or rotation of thebody 25, and the direction of rotation of the body will be controlled bythe direction of the lay.

If, when a strand breaks, it is desired to rewind the strands back uponthe reel, the bar or rod |83 is operated by the operator at one end ofthe machine. This will rock the member |81 about its pivot |88, assumingthe parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 17, and the pin |84 movingdownwardly in the slot |85, will contact the arm ||9 of the catch ||4,and move the latter about its pivot |5, against the stress of the spring|l8, so that the shoulder ||8 will move out of contact with the shoulder||1 of the member 99. A further movement of the bar or rod |83 in thesame direction, will cause the pin |84, when it reaches the bottom ofthe slot |85, to swing the member 99 about the pivot |88, against thestress ci.' the spring |32, and into the position shown in laptoreleaseorunlock the gear so that it will rotate freely aboutthe trunnion 35oithe cradle 32. In orderto prevent the projection' I |2-on the rod |03from passing out of the bifurcation ||3 of the member |01, the member -l|2 may be of a substantially disc-like formatiomas shown more clearly inFigs.` 13 and 20. 'j

With this form of" power mechanism, and in order to maintain theproximate cradles from rotating orvswinging with respect to each other,and to lock the cradles together, any suitable mechanism may beprovided. A suitable and eillcient means, however, embodies a. shaftwhich may be journaled'in the webs 33a, which are in proximity to therespective cradles, 'and secured to this shaft for rotation therewith,are gearsv |2| and |22. The gear |22 meshes with a gear |23 carried byone of the cradles 32, and secured thereto against rotation with respectthereto,l

while the gear |2| meshes with a similargear |24 secured to the adjacenttrunnion 35a of the proximate cradle 32. Thus it will be seen that thisshaft, with the gears |2|, |22, |23 and |24. will maintain the cradlesagainst relative rotating or swinging movement. With this construction,and inasmuch as the adjacent ends of proximate cradles are similarlyconnected, lby maintaining any one of the cradles against swinging orrotary motion, all of the cradles will be thus held -against movement. s

The wire 62 passing -to the outside of the body portion 25, will bepassed through suitable guides (see particularly Fig. 7), and theseguides may bearranged in suitable supporting members |26, encompassingand spaced lengthwise of the body portion 25. The rotation of the bodyportion may be stopped by brake mechanism |21, of any desired orwell-known construction suitable for the purpose.

'I'he coil springs 92-93 that form the clutches,

' means embodying a belt fordriving said bobbin,

to secure the gears 88 and 89 to the shaft 83 (see particularly Fig. l5)loosely encompass the shaft 83, one end of the spring being anchored tothe respective gears by means of a fastening device |28, while the otherend of the spring is free from the shaft, the springs being individuallyrendered active or inactive, according to the direction of rotation ofthe respective gears 83 and 89.

If desired, and in order to provide automatic means for stopping themachine and for rendering the brake mechanism active, there may beprovided a conductor wire 25a (see particularly Fig. l), which isarranged on the outside of the rotatable body portion 25, in proximityto the strand wires 62, so that when one of the wires 52 breaks,centrifugal force will throw the broken end of the wire coming from thereel 32, outwardly and into contact with the conductor 25a, which willrender the control means (diagrammatically illustrated at 25h) active tostop the machine and apply the brakes.

means for driving the belt, and a pivotally mounted element engagingsaid belt when the reel is moving in'one direction to maintain. the beltagainst traveling movement, to create the tension, the said elementyielding to relieve the tension when the belt is being driven.- l

2. A stranding machine of the character described, embodying a rotatableframe, means for rotating the frame. a cradle swingingly mounted uponthe frame and with respect to which cradle the frame rotates, a bobbinrotatably mounted upon the cradle, power means for rotating the bobbin,said power meansvembodying a motor, tension creating means for thebobbin between the motor and bobbin, means operating automatically torender said tension means active when the bobbin is rotating in onedirection, and to render the tension means inactive when the bobbin isrotated in the opposite direction, means for controlling at will thesaid power means, said power means embodying a motor, and said tensionmeans embodying a belt, a pulley over which the belt passes, a gearconnection between the pulley and said power means, and a pivotallymounted element co-operating with said pulley to bind the belttherebetween when the reel is moving in one direction, and to yield whenthe belt is being driven.

3. A stranding machine of the character described, embodying a rotatableframe, means for rotating the frame, a cradle swingingly mounted uponthe frame and with respect to which cradle the frame rotates, a bobbinrotatably mounted upon the cradle, powermeans for rotating the bobbin,saidpower means embodying a motor, tension creating means for the bobbinbetween the motor and bobbin, means operating automatically to rendersaid tension means active when the -bobbn is rotating in one direction,and to render the tension means inactive when the bobbin is rotatedinthe opposite direction, means for controlling at will the said powermeans, said power and said tension means embodying a driving belt, apulley over which the belt passes, a pivotally mounted elementco-operating with the pulley and engaging the belt, said elementautomatically becoming active when the reel moves in one direction, andinactive when the belt is being driven, and means for maintaining saidbelt 4. A stranding machine of the character described, embodying arotatable frame, means for rotating the frame, a cradle swinginglymounted upon the frame and with respect to which cradle the frame isrotatable, a bobbin rotatably mounted upon the cradle, power means forrotating the bobbin to rewind a wire thereupon in the event the wirebecomes broken during the operation of the machine, said power meansembodying a driving connection between said frame and the bobbin, andmeans for controlling at will the said connection.

5. A stranding machine of the character described, embodying a rotatableframe, means for the said connection, and means for creating a tensionupon the said bobbin, the said tension means embodying meansautomatically rendered active when the bobbin is rotated in one direc,-

, tion, and automatically rendered inactive when the bobbin is rotatedin the opposite direction.

6. A stranding machine embodying a rotatable frame, means for rotatingthe frame, a cradle swingingly supported upon the frame, a bobbinrotatably mounted upon the cradle, means whereby a wire may be fed fromthe bobbin to a die, power means for rotating the bobbin with respect tothe cradle, to re-wind a .wire thereupon in the event the wire becomesbroken during the operation of the machine, and means whereby thedirection of rotation of the bobbin with respect to the cradle will beconstant, while the direction of rotation of the frame may be variedaccording to the lay of the wire in the strand. the last recited meansembodying automatic and oppositely operating clutch devices.

'L A stranding machine embodying a rotatable frame, means for rotatingthe frame, a cradle swingingly mounted upon the frame, a bobbin'rotatably mounted upon the cradle, power means for rotating the bobbinwith respect to the cradle,

' to re-wind a broken wire thereupon, said power means embodying adriving connection between said frame and bobbin, said connectionembodying a gear, loosely mounted with respect to the bobbin, means forrendering said connection active and, inactive at will, the last saidmeans embodying a toothed member rotatable with said frame, and meansfor. shifting said toothed member at will, into and out of engagementwith the teeth of said loosely mounted gear.

8. A stranding machine embodying a rotatable body portion, means forrotating the body, a cradle journaled upon said body. a bobbin rotatablymounted upon the cradle, power means for rotating said bobbin withrespect to the cradle to rewind a broken wire thereupon, said powermeans embodying an operative gear connection between said bodyportionand the said bobbin, one of the said gears being loosely mounted,

whereby the said power means will be inactive with respect to thebobbin, and means controllable at will, for locking said looselymounted' gear with respect to the bobbin, whereby said bobbin may berotated by said power means, upon said cradle.

9. A stranding machine embodying a. reel, means for drawing a strandfrom said reel, means for rewinding the strand upon said reel, saidmeans embodying a pulley, a belt therefor, and

a freely swinging element co-operating with said pulley for gripping thebelt therebetween when the belt moves in one direction and for releasying said belt when the belt moves in another direction.

10. A stranding machine embodying a reel.

means for drawing a strand from said reel, means for rewinding thestrand upon said reel, said means embodying a bodily movable pulley, abelt therefor, a freely shiftable element bodily movable with and withrespect to the pulley and co-operating therewith, for gripping the belttherebetween when the belt moves in one direction and for releasing saidbelt when the belt moves in another direction.

11. A stranding machine embodying a reel, means for drawing a strandfrom said reel, means for rewinding the strand upon said reel, saidmeans embodying a pulley, a belt therefor, and a pivotally mountedeccentric member co-operating with said pulley for gripping the belttherebetween when the belt moves in one direction and for releasing saidbelt when the belt moves in another direction.

12. A stranding machine embodying a reel, means for drawing a strandfrom said reel, means for rewinding the strand upon said reel, saidmeans embodying a pulley, a belt therefor, a freely swinging elementco-operating with said pulley for gripping the belt therebetween whenthe belt moves in one direction and for releasing said belt when thebelt moves in another direction, said element being x'ed with relationto said pulley and being bodily movable therewith.

